more than just an escape
The Coming Kingdom
"He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." Colossians 1:12b-14.
God's plan surprisingly reveals that it was made not only for His praise and glory but
for OUR ultimate glory. And that it will be so good, it is beyond what we can currently even perceive:
1 Corinthians 2:6-9 says,"Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
What is this Kingdom like that what it contains is outside the limits of our imagination?
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true. And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. ” Revelation 21:1-7.
Here is the surrounding passage we looked at in part before, and saw it is those who are victorious that will inherit all these blessings. We saw the victorious defined in Revelation 2:26:
"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations."
The victorious are those who obey God to the very end.
The culmination of history will be the establishment of Christ’s kingdom when God will once again dwell among us. The Bible tells us the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from the present heaven as a large, square-shaped city with a wall around it decorated with beautiful stones. Both the city and the streets are made of gold, like transparent glass. Based on the measurements provided in the book of Revelation, there are those whose calculations have drawn conclusions for us. The ground level would be nearly two million square miles, which is almost two-thirds the size of the United States. The Bible doesn't tell us if there is more than one level, but it does tell us the height of the city is as tall as the ground level is wide. However, as a gauge for its size, if it had different levels with each story at 12 feet high, it would have room for 600,000 stories. You'll learn more details about it from the final chapters of Revelation just shortly.
His kingdom is also more than just heaven. He will establish His kingdom on earth as well where Christ will reign 1000 years prior to the final destruction of Satan and the final judgment.
Recorded in the book of Daniel, God gave a vision to King Nebuchadnezzar and revealed the interpretation to the prophet Daniel. It describes the final kingdom of man and the establishing of Christ's reign upon the earth:
"“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth." Daniel 2:29-35
Revelation TV / FreeBibleimages.org
Kingdoms of Man
Yield to
Kingdom of God
Head of Gold: Babylon
BC 605-539
Arms/Chest Silver:
Persia BC 539-332
Belly/Thighs of Brass:
Greece BC 332-168
Legs of Iron:
Rome BC 168- AD 476
Feet of Iron & Clay:
Last Empire of Man
In Near Future
The Rock:
Eternal Kingdom
Christ Reigns
“That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world.
Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.
During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.” Daniel 2:36-44 NLT
Revelation TV / FreeBibleimages.org
Before going further,
there's something about the
final kingdom of man
that you might want to know.
In the King James translation, verse 43 describes with clarity a notable point that is found in the original language according to Strong's Concordance.*
Notice the pronouns below:
*You can verify this yourself using this link to the Strong's Concordance listing on this verse.
"And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay,
they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men:
but they shall not cleave one to another,
even as iron is not mixed with clay." Daniel 2:43
As the late Bible teacher, Chuck Missler, pointed out, "they" is something other than the seed of "men." The two groups are distinguished from each other and juxtaposed. The implication is that this iron is something not human. In the Genesis creation account, "God formed man of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7) and this can be likened to clay. So if the clay represents human beings what is the iron mixed with them? The meaning is not yet clear, but this mingling will fail.
Later in the book of Daniel, he himself has a dream containing visions. He sees a final world power ruled by ten kings with three who are subdued by an eleventh king that arises and oppresses the holy people for a limited time. Then God's kingdom is established:
"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It had devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, trampling their remains beneath its feet. I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast’s head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This horn had seemed greater than the others, and it had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly.
As I watched, this horn was waging war against God’s holy people and was defeating them, until the Ancient One—the Most High—came and judged in favor of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom.
Then he said to me, “This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling and crushing everything in its path. Its ten horns are ten kings who will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.
“But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him. That was the end of the vision. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself. ” Daniel 7:19-28
Daniel describes:
"As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14
You will find references at the bottom of the page to learn more about his reign on earth and here are more details about the heavenly city of God's kingdom:
Revelation 21:10-27
"So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
"The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
To give you an idea, using the United States as a reference, it's about 1500 miles from the Canadian border of the US to Dallas Texas. For an international reference it's about the on average distance from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.
Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.
And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life."
In the Bible's final chapter, Revelation 22:1-9, we discover this:
"Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
You can see that this is more than just an escape. It's a very great inheritance. The Bible says for those that receive Jesus, though our bodies are dying, our spirits are renewed daily and our present troubles are small and will produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! His plan for us and our very creation was based on His love. Even our suffering will be used for our benefit. Our troubles are producing glory for us that will make them pale by comparison. (see Weight of Glory, 2 Corinthians 4:11-17)
"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." Ephesians 1:4-11
It was with kindness that He chose us in advance to be adopted into his own family through Jesus Christ. We can be encouraged by what awaits those who are in Christ. Even the creation is suffering in its current condition, but God will redeem it too and set it free when those of us who have become children of God are revealed at the end. Scripture says:
"Yet what we suffer now is nothing
compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
For all creation is waiting eagerly
for that future day when
God will reveal who his children really are.
Against its will,
all creation was subjected to God’s curse.
But with eager hope, the creation looks forward
to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay."
Romans 8:18-21
And continues, "For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)" Romans 8:22-25
I hope you will become partakers of God's kingdom and hold fast to the truth with this encouragement:
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28 He will work even your sufferings together for your good. Understand what you are created to be and inherit. Learn more by watching the video, If God Is Good, How Do We Explain Evil.
Learn more in scripture:
Revelation 19:11-16 (Lord's return) chapter 20 ( vs. 1-10 thousand year reign, vs. 11-15 final judgment), chapter 21-22, Matthew 25:31-46 (return/judgment), Matthew 24 (signs of Jesus' return), Daniel 7:13-14, 7:23-28, Isaiah 11, Isaiah 65:17-25, Psalm 72:7-11, Zechariah 2:10-11 (God's kingdom on earth), Zechariah 14:3-4 (Lord's return)